The Philippines can emerge as a dairy country with its abundant rainfall that can adequately grow pastures.
While there is a perception that the country cannot have its own flourishing dairy industry, an Oman-trained dairy animal scientist who co-owns the Happy Cows at Tropical Dairy Farm (HCTDF) strongly contests this.
“They say we can’t have dairy. But I say it’s more appropriate here because we always have rainfall, so we can grow grass anywhere for pasture throughout the year. My dream is to see that the Philippines will have the best dairy in Asia,” said Benjamin Molina who co-owns HCTDF in an interview at a farm tour.
The country even has a climate that may be more auspicious for dairying than in Oman where climate can be hotter and dryer. Molina, who holds a master’s degree on Animal Science from Australia, was a dairy technical specialist in Oman for 15 years.
Two other assets of the country in dairy are its numerous vacant areas and its many dairy technical experts.
Together with the National Dairy Authority (NDA), Molina has put up a dairy breeder farm in Calauan, Laguna. About 50 animals are already in the farm and 50 more will be put in by NDA. NDA is also extending technical assistance to the breeder farm.
Molina’s share in the business are the facilities for the animals and the milking equipment imported from New Zealand.
The HCTDF will be the Philippines’ first dairy breeder farm which will become the source of future calves for dairying.
“If we have the base stock, in two to three years time, we can be sufficient. We don’t need to import the animals,” he said.
Rene de Guzman, planning chief, such breeder farm will make the domestic dairy industry independent from any more government assistance.
“Ten more of this farm placed all over the country, and the private sector won’t need NDA anymore,” he said.
HCTDF’s aim is to keep cost of pregnant heifers down. While pregnant heifers are sold in the market at P90,000 each, the farm can supply it to farmers at only P50,000. Production cost is only between P30,000 to P35,000 per head.
Achieving a low production cost is not impossible if grazing lands are developed. Cost of feeding animals from a pasture is at a very cheap P2 per animal per day compared to P300 per day for other types of feeds. The country, Molina said has numerous indigenous grasses for grazing while many trees like kakwate, malunggay, and ipil-ipil have rich nutrients good for animal food supplement.
By December this year, the HCTDF will have 100 milking cows that yield 1,000 liters per day. The farm can sell this milk at P17 to P23 per liter, but it will rather process the milk for value-adding in order to raise selling price to P50 per liter (bringing revenue of P50,000 daily). Additional cost for processing is at a reasonable P15 per liter.
“If you have the volume, you don’t have to offer your milk. The market will come to you,” he said.
As expected, the breeder farm will also have 100 calves by the end of the year.
13th Dioscoro L. Umali Memorial Lecture Series
PA 2020: Pasture and Ruminants Industry Cluster
Draft Strategic Plan Presentation
04 July 2007, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, Traders Hotel, Manila
For more information, contact:
Dept. of Science and Technology
Rm. 303 DOST Bldg., DOST Complex,
Gen. Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City 1631
Telephone Nos: (632) 837-20-71 to 82
Fax: (632) 837-8937
Web: www.dost.gov.ph
source: www.mb.com.ph
Sir, I am an ex-OFW and want to invest in dairy farming here in Negros Occidental. I’m interested in seminars or orientation if available. also want to ask for the initial investment needed to be able to start. Any guide/information is highly appreciated.
I believe before we address the problem of Dairy Production in our country , we will first Ask our government to solve the insurgent problem we have. I myself is very interested in Dairy and Other Farming, But I wont put my hard earn money at the mercy of the communist. We have a lot of Idle Land to used , but because of this communism which has no meaning at this point, Our country will go down the drain. How many company they have closed, labor union, KMU affiliated to JOMA and company , and pathetically some of these companies transferred to CHINA the home base of their Ideology. Unless these Lazy people will not put down there arms, and work Honestly and the right way. Instead of making revolutions as a business , I cant see any progress in our country. I could still see my son working as OFW just like me. Very sad.
THE COMMUNIST PARTY IN PHILIPPINES IT THE BLOCKAGE OF OUR PROGRESS
i am glad to see that there is a great stride to develop the Philippines’ dairy industry. while growing, my family was lucky to be connected with DTRI so we had the benefit of dairy products. based on some reading i did, our neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia (like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, etc.) are so far ahead now in their dairy industry and very close to becoming self sufficient, while we still import more than 90% of our requiements. i really wish the NDA and its partners (like HCTDF of Mr Molina) success in the endeavor. i myself will venture to dairy when i get back to the our native land and hope to see in our lifetime that we are self sufficient in dairy….
Milk supply to 93M Filipinos, at full bore for all concerned would barely scratch the surface. Milk is the largest agricultural import and THERE IS NO MORE EVAPORATED MILK!!! ALL ARE FILLED MILK!!!
No wonder Pinoys become lactose intolerant, there is no milk to be tolerated for. We better stop dreaming about milking Holsteins, they cannot stand the heat here. Sahiwal breed from Pakistan is
productive enough IF WELL CARED FOR. 3.5 M goats in the country only a handful milks them. Water Buffaloes, to which carabao is represented by is among the smallest and least productive. The Bulgarian water buffalo was introduced to Italy less than 100 years ago, now you find Mozarella cheese everywhere. Murrah is also very productive. I’m glad is is crossed with our carabaos. We need to explore that. Lastly we need to monitor safety by adhering to strict sanitation and handling of the product. To those producers who intend to water their milk, it is
very easy to detect that.
I think, there is no problem with processing of their raw milk, since they are producing @ a very low yield, as per above mentioned that 100 cows produced 1,000 liters which is very low. The Holstein Australian cows produced @ 1st lactation for at least 15 to 18 liters per day per cow, 2nd lact will gives 18 to 25 liters and the 3rd lactation will give the highest peak milk yield 25 to 35 liters per day. The feed as above was good but we are now @ new era, we need to adopt a new feeding Total Mixed Ration as per required to the milking cows that helps them to produce more.
Best regards,
Alan Ladanan
Dairy Herd Manager
Lahore, Pakistan
i live in Alaska, but had curiousity about a dairy farm in PH. i think your directions are both misguided. i think you should be turning the milk/cream into products that are more resitant to deterioration in your climate – things like yogurt, cheeses, and DRY MILK – duh. you don’t need TANKERS and REGRIGERATION facilities, you need FREEZE DRYING EQUIPMENT!!! basically, you just spray the milk in a fine mist onto a heated metal wall, and the dry milk falls to the floor.
white rabbit,
I think your notion about local dairying in the Philippines is a little bit outdated. Since the creation of the National Dairy Authority (NDA) , an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, NDA has already established 14 flourishing dairy zones all over the Phillipines with milk processing plants and retort facilities. If you want , you can visit our office and see for yourself how the local dairy industry is gaining its ground and contributing to alleviate poverty and malnutrition. You can come to our office at NDA, BAI Compound , Visayas Avenue , Quezon City or call us at Tel. No. 926-07-33 . Thank you
..you can produce milk here, easily, but the post-cow processing is the problem area.Fresh milk detiriorates very quickly, even a cooler is expensive technology and i doubt milk tankers exist here, even if they do their road access is limited mostly to areas already heavily cultivated with other crops.
..Dairy cows are a highly specialised type of farming, it will take years of training to produce the specialists needed, even generations before the Phils has that strange animal, the dairy farmer..
..get real, work on your goat herds, and develop that..